Was Trading a 3rd For Kelvin Benjamin in 2017 a Good or Bad Move?

[Phil The Thrill]

I was reading a national reporter talk about the job Brandon Beane has done as GM and while he liked this years signings he said he whiffed on the Kelvin Benjamin trade.

 

But did he really?  I mean, if you have to declare a winner I would say that Carolina’s 3rd round pick was probably a better return for what the Bills got out of KB.  But I don’t feel it was as one-sided or as bad of a move as it may look in hindsight.

 

DRAFT CAPITAL 

The Bills gave up a 3rd round pick.  It wasn’t a 1st or a 2nd (like NE sent to Atlanta this season).  The Bills also have 2 third rounders that year.  So while a 3rd round pick is valuable, the Bills has the draft caption to make the deal.  Also keep in mind that a few months later Beane would deal Tyrod Taylor to Cleveland to get that second third-rounder back.  So this pick wasn’t as big of a loss at it appears.

 

POOR WR DEPTH

 Second the Bills were desperate for receiver help.  Their starting WR’s that season were Zay Jones, Deonte Thompson, Jordan Matthews (briefly) and  Andre Holmes.  Jones barely gets any reps in Oakland and the other 3 were out of the NFL 2 years later.  This was a pitiful crew and they needed help.  Benjamin was probably the best option out there.

 

THE DROUGHT WAS LOOMING

 The 17 year playoff was weighing heavy on this franchise.  Terry Pegula inherited the drought and the negativity from the fan base that went along with it.  He tried to distance himself from the drought and it only annoyed fans more.Thanks to a hot 5-2 start the Bills had a shot of ending it and earning a playoff spot.  McDermott and Beane had a chance to do what no Bills coach/GM had done in 2 decades.  They knew how important a playoff spot would be for the franchise, the fan base, and “the process.” 

Did Benjamin contribute to this?  Not really.  His best game was against NE which was a lopsided loss.  But you can argue that KB’s TD catch from Peterman’s in the snow was the biggest play in what, perhaps, was the most important victory against Indy in the snow.  So you can argue that he had a big part winning a pivotal playoff game. 

 

INJURIES AND BAD LUCK

Benjamin’s first 2 NFL seasons were very solid.  While he did have an ugly knee injury and issues with weight, bringing a player with his talent and experience seemed to make a lot of sense.  Unfortunately on one of his first catches with the team, he ended up hurting his knee which hobbled him the rest of the year.  He played the rest of the season under 100%.  I’m not saying he would have dominated if he wasn’t injured, but I do think he would have been more effective.  

 

After writing this I’m more convinced that taking a flyer on Benjamin for a 3rd was definitely the right move.  Yes you can argue that he was a mismatch for the QB.  Benjamin was a 50/50 receiver and QB Tyrod Taylor refused to throw those kind of balls 

 

But in the end I think trading for KB was the right move.  

[Your Brown Eye]

 

[Malazan]

It was a bad move, but a good risk. I'd rather have a GM that will swing and miss sometimes rather than one too afraid to make a move because they might lose out on the draft pick.

Edited December 30, 2019 by jeremy2020

[whatdrought]

I think it’s possible for it to be a bad move, and still have been the right move at the time.

 

Same as the decision to bench Tyrod for Petterpick. 

 

Some things demand hindsight.

[longtimebillsfan]

The results of the poll surprise me until I saw there were only two votes.  My expectations were high on this trade.   Too bad Benjamin did not come close to meeting at least my expectations.  I was hoping he would be that #1 receiver we were looking for and that tall target that we all covet.

 

I am not upset with the trade.  It was worth a shot.

 

Hind sight is 20/20.

 

 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

At the time it was a good idea. Didn’t Pan out. They don’t all work

[VADC Bills]

Lets not look past the obvious, this was a bad move. Every GM has made bad moves at one time or another, Beane is no exception.

Lets not try to rationalize a bad move based on a prior good relationship.

[Phil The Thrill]

2 minutes ago, longtimebillsfan said:

The results of the poll surprise me until I saw there were only two votes.  My expectations were high on this trade.   Too bad Benjamin did not come close to meeting at least my expectations.  I was hoping he would be that #1 receiver we were looking for and that tall target that we all covet.

 

I am not upset with the trade.  It was worth a shot.

 

Hind sight is 20/20.

 

 

This is what I’m saying.  At the time, I thought it was worth the risk.  It was a low-risk, high reward situation.  It never panned out but also wasn’t disastrous and it didn’t really have a negative effect on the team.  
 

Most people like this reporter are blowing this “miss” out of proportion.  

[r00tabaga]

He kinda helped us win the Indy snow game......which was a huge win that.....well...ended a 17 yr drought.....

 

I didn’t vote but I’d say that was Beanes biggest whiff.

BB gets B+‘s & A’s on pretty much all other moves.

[Phil The Thrill]

Just now, VADC Bills said:

Lets not look past the obvious, this was a bad move. Every GM has made bad moves at one time or another, Beane is no exception.

Lets not try to rationalize a bad move based on a prior good relationship.

So the Bills were 5-1 when they made the trade but desperately needed help at WR.  Would you have been cool if the team sat on their hands at the deadline and didn’t make any moves.

 

Your response Is big on hindsight.  It was not a bad move.  And you can even argue that if he doesn’t make the move, they might not break the drought.

Just now, r00tabaga said:

He kinda helped us win the Indy snow game......which was a huge win that.....well...ended a 17 yr drought.....

 

I didn’t vote but I’d say that was Beanes biggest whiff.

BB gets B+‘s & A’s on pretty much all other moves.

Was it that big of a whiff though.  He traded a 3rd for a player who would be the best WR on his team (yeah I know that’s a low bar).  I would say they KB’s return was probably worth a 5th.  It’s not terrible - plus when you have needs at the trade deadline you often overspend.  No issue with the trade at all

7 minutes ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

At the time it was a good idea. Didn’t Pan out. They don’t all work

this is how I see it.

[John from Riverside]

OK so hear me out LOL it was a good move and I’ll tell you why it showed that even though Benjamin was the wrong player the type of receiver was a correct fit as evidenced in Duke Williams 

Let’s get that type of player but better quality and better character for this team next year

[Phil The Thrill]

5 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

OK so hear me out LOL it was a good move and I’ll tell you why it showed that even though Benjamin was the wrong player the type of receiver was a correct fit as evidenced in Duke Williams 

Let’s get that type of player but better quality and better character for this team next year

What’s so funny about this?

[VADC Bills]

Hindsight is how we judge based on historical and not real time performance. With that being said I was not a naysayer on the deal when it happened. I felt he was considered due to his history in Carolina. But you have to take off the blinders on this one, bad move. It wasn't as bad as McBeane starting Peterman opening day against the Ravens. Someone should have realized he was lousy. Did he not pay attention to the San Diego the year before.

Was Benjamin more responsible for ending the drought than Shady?

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

.....hindsight is a beautiful thing.......so why revisit an obvious mistake decision wise that ocurred in 2017 and what's the point (respectful question)?.....help me out here...hindsight would reveal 100's of bad moves NFL wise............

Edited December 30, 2019 by OldTimeAFLGuy

[GG]

Spectacularly bad.  He overpaid for the position, and the player rewarded him by playing worse than he did in Carolina.  

 

I see the rationale for the trade, but the execution was awful.  

[wppete]

He was a bum. Out of the league now. 

[Mike in Horseheads]

Thrill Polls are always umm interesting

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

A a 3rd to get Kelvin Benjamin turned out bad IMO 

[Magox]

In retrospect of course it was a bad trade, even though 90% of the board was on board with the move.  Kelvin was showing some signs of fading but he was viewed by many as a top tier #2 big target WR.    

 

It was Brandon Beane's worst move.  I can live with him giving up a third in trying to trade for a young potential quality starter.  It just didn't work out.

[Rock'em Sock'em]

Both SM and BB had in-depth knowledge on KB.  Not only was this a swing and a miss, but it was a swing and a miss when they knew exactly what pitch was coming.  Not only did the trade cost us a 3rd round pick, but also came with an $8.5M one year deal.  As it turned out, there were much better uses for that cash.  With the pick, Carolina drafted CB Gaulden, who was released earlier this year.  With the following pick, Baltimore drafted Mark Andrews.  Buffalo picked Taron Johnson 20+ picks later in the forth.